RICHMOND, Va. — Carter Printing Co., one of the largest commercial printers in Virginia, plans to expand its production capacity by purchasing a large-format Mitsubishi Diamond 6000LS sheetfed press. The six-color, 56-inch machine, the printer's second Mitsubishi press, prints at speeds up to 14,000 sheets per hour and includes the full range of Mitsubishi automation. It will join a six-color, 40-inch 3F-13 model installed in 2001. The company has ordered the new press to replace an existing six-color, 55-inch press. Founded in 1968 as a small typesetting shop, Carter Printing has evolved into a high-end multicolor printer that caters to a diverse client base in the Mid-Atlantic region and elsewhere. Annual reports, corporate brochures, college catalogs, labels for retail packaging and point-of-purchase displays make up a large part of its business. The full-service firm occupies a 55,000-square-foot facility and operates around the clock. It offers complete prepress, printing and binding services. The prepress department provides both conventional prepress and direct-to-plate production. Before acquiring the first Mitsubishi press, company management traveled to other commercial printing plants to print test presses manufactured by different press makers. At the time, Wayne Carter, president, predicted: "When the time comes to replace our 55-inch press, Mitsubishi will already be the frontrunner." Carter Printing expects to take delivery of the Diamond 6000LS press next May, according to officials at Mitsubishi.